US Soldier Killed, 4 Wounded in Battle Against Militants in Somalia

Howard TerryJun 09, 2018

The fourth wounded USA service member was treated in country, the Pentagon said.

AFRICOM is withholding the name of the servicemember killed in action, pending notification of next of kin.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families of our serviceman who was killed and his fellow servicemen who were wounded in Somolia [sic]".

Though U.S. -backed operations and airstrikes have dented al-Shabab, the militants have continued to carry out deadly attacks in Somalia, including a bombing in October of previous year that left some 300 people dead in the capital of Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab is fighting to overthrow Somalia's central government and establish its own rule based on its interpretation of Islamic law.

The role of United States troops during the operation was to provide aerial surveillance and to provide other assistance to the coalition group.

US Africa Command says in a statement that US troops with Somalian and Kenyan forces came under mortar and small-arms fire Friday in Jubaland, Somalia, at around 2.45 p.m. local time.

The combined Somali National Security Forces, Kenya Defense Force and US forces were on a multiday operation in Jubaland, southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, when the attack occurred.

Three of the four wounded US service members were evacuated to receive additional medical treatment, the military said. The U.S. military has about 500 troops in Somalia, Martin reports.

The American forces were operating alongside Somali troops. The US's role in AFRICOM's area of responsibility has come under heavy scrutiny following an October ambush in Niger that left four soldiers dead.

During the past year, USA troops in Africa have been exposed to increased risks.

Al-Shabaab, Al Qaeda's branch in Somalia, boasted of mounting a "fierce attack" resulting in the casualties on the outskirts of the town of Kismayo, according to a transmission intercepted by the SITE Intelligence Group.

The last killing of a US service member in Somalia was in May 2017 during an operation about 40 miles west of Mogadishu, Stars and Stripes reported.

Late a year ago US drone strikes also began targeting a small presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State group in Somalia's north.

"The population in the region had historically supported the government, and the Somali forces had prepared for this mission by coordinating heavily with and securing the support of local authorities ahead of time", AFRICOM said.

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